Page 61 of Sea La Vie
“Rise and shine, son.”
My eyelids flutter open and I groan, not really in the mood to spend the day out on the water. I’d rather spend every second of this last week with Emma.
“Come on, let’s go,” Dad says. He’s standing in the door frame, coffee thermos in hand. I tumble out of bed and quickly change out of my pajamas, then shove my feet into my boots. I beat dad out the door, and something catches my eye, fluttering under the mail slot.
Meet me tomorrow at the top of the lighthouse when the sun and the sky meet and we’ll leave it all behind. -E
I quickly read it a second time before folding it up and running back inside. Dad passes me in the hallway. “Everything okay?”
“Need to use the bathroom,” I mutter. I wait until he walks outside, then run into my room. I scan the space quickly, looking for the safest place to keep the note. If dad finds it, I’m sure to get busted. I eye the loose floorboard beside my bed and quickly shove it under there. Then, I smile. Because Emma and I are going to spend the rest of our lives together.
26
Lainey
My alarm goes off, scaring both me and Midge. Midge growls, then curls back up at the end of our makeshift bed inside the cabin. I stand up and stretch, my back sore from the lumpy sleeping arrangements. It’s chilly this morning, my breath visible in a little haze as I breathe into my hands to warm them up. When I step onto the dock, I let out a little sigh of relief, the sight of stars instead of clouds comforting. My weather app had promised perfect conditions the thirty or so times I had checked it on the way up and in the middle of the night.
The short walk over to the marina’s office loosens my limbs and clears my head from my sleep-induced haze, my mind focused on the tournament now that I am registered. The coffee I grabbed inside the office is strong, probably the remnant’s from yesterday’s pot.
“Lainey!” The door to the office swings open and I turn around to find dad’s biggest competitor, Paul, from theA-Fish-Ionado.
Paul and my dad went to high school together and competed neck in neck in everything: sports, grades, and even women.Supposedly, when my dad asked my mom out on a date, Paul became incredibly bitter because he was also planning on asking her out.
Paul’s always been a bit more showy with his earnings than dad has. His boat is decades newer, and his reels and equipment are shinier. Today, he’s wearing a brand new Columbia Professional Fishing Gear ensemble, probably something sponsored to post on his Instagram and make thousands of dollars by doing so. I glance down at my own tattered sweatshirt and jeans and wonder if maybe Fruit of the Loom would be interested in sponsoring me.
“I didn’t know Archer was joining the competition. I thought he was out for the season.” Paul pours himself a cup of coffee from the same pot and grimaces when he brings it to his lips.
My face flames, unsure of what to say. “He is out for the season,” I confirm. “But, I’m taking his place.” I step aside, allowing Paul space at the counter to register.
He cocks an eyebrow then crosses his arms, leaning against the counter. “Your brothers are with you, then?”
I accidentally drop my packet of tournament info and papers scatter across the floor. I shuffle them all together with my foot and bend down hastily to scoop them up, all while Paul watches from above, a smirk on his face.
“I’ll see you out there,” I say, avoiding his scrutinizing gaze as my face flushes. “Good luck.” I scurry out the door, praying against all odds that this doesn’t make it back to my family before I’m able to win and tell them what I did myself.
By the time I make it back to the boat, Midge is awake and barking at me from the helm, no doubt telling me what has already been nagging at me in the back of my mind…that this might not be my best idea. With one motor down, and no one knowing exactly where I am, so much could go wrong. But honestly, I’ve been fine all season. It’s just one more run.
For the briefest of seconds, I consider pulling out and going back home. Then, the sound of a megaphone reminding all participants that there are only ten minutes until the start of the tournament makes me think otherwise.
I pour the last of the kibble into Midge’s bowl, hoping that’s enough for her to forgive me, then turn on our one remaining motor. It sputters to life, and I back out of the dock, addingSea La Vieto the line of competitors.
The sun’s beginning its journey across the sky, leaving a pink and orange trail in its path, and I’m momentarily mesmerized by the beauty of it. I could see a thousand sunrises and never get used to them, each unique in its own way.
I drop the anchor, considering this as good a place as any, and start dropping my lines, too. In the distance, I can see a handful of my competitors scattered across the horizon. One is most definitelyA-Fish-Ionado, its bright red hull a stark contrast to the dark water. A shiver crosses my body, and I frown. It should be warming up. When I glance at the sky, a big fat rain drop lands on my forehead and rolls to the bottom of the boat. My radio crackles from inside the cabin, and I rush to pick it up, narrowly avoiding Midge who’s curled up and scowling at me from her perch on the floor.
“Looks like a nasty one’s coming,” I hear crackling through the tiny speaker.
“Didn’t see this one coming,” I hear another voice say.
“You’re going in alreadyBouy oh Bouy?” I recognize that voice—Paul’s.
Jim fromBouy oh Bouycomes over the speaker. “I learned my lesson last season when I just about lost half my crew in an unexpected storm. I’m headed back in. Good luck to the rest of ya.” A blue boat putters across the horizon in the direction of the harbor.
“Anyone else?” Paul asks. I glance toward my one working motor and consider playing it safe. “Sea La Vie? You headed in, too?”
I pick up the radio and clear my voice. “I can’t beat you from the docks, Paul. You’re going down.”
Several voices come through the speaker then, with disses and chuckles toward Paul. He doesn’t respond, but I see his boat inch a little farther in the opposite direction of the dock, a clear indication I just declared war.
